- Shutterfly
Shutterfly
Shutterfly.com is an online photo sharing and printing service based in Redwood City, CA. Best known for its line of customizable photo books, Shutterfly was created in 1999 and went public in 2006. They company's customer base is heavily skewed toward women, who made up 80% of its users in 2013. In August of 2014, Shutterfly had 2.6 million customers with 4.2 million orders generated.
Shutterfly has several sister companies, which include Tinyprints, Wedding Paper Divas, Treat, Borrowlenses and This Life.
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The Good
- Free accounts
- Editing tools
- Keepsake and gift items
All Shutterfly accounts are free and feature unlimited photo storage, as well as unlimited file sizes for photo and video uploads. Once you create a Shutterfly account, you can choose to upload files from a computer, mobile device, iPhoto, Facebook, Instagram or Picasa. If you have a very large group of images to upload, you can mail them to Shutterfly on a CD or DVD, and Shutterfly will then upload the images to your account for free.
Shutterfly has a simple editing tool for uploaded images. You have the option to crop, apply a border, apply a color effect, rotate and fix red-eye. There is also a Videogram feature that enables you to compile photos and music into a shareable video for friends and family. Both of these tools are free to use with your Shutterfly account.
The biggest benefit of using Shutterfly is gaining access to its keepsake and gift items. You can choose from photo books, cards, stationery, prints, calendars, home décor items, posters and many other photo gifts. Shutterfly offers templates and tips for items like photo books and stationery, so you'll be able to easily create appealing gift items even if you don't have any previous experience.
Shutterfly has a Help Center in which you can search specific questions and find answers in the FAQs. Shutterfly does not offer tutorials but does feature some free design tips throughout the site.
If you'd like to share your photos, you'll need to send notifications to friends and family members through Shutterfly. Shared albums and photos are not made available to the general public, however anyone who has received a share link can view, save or re-share the photos, as well as order prints and other gift items featuring those photos. You can also protect your photos with a password, so only those who know the password can see your images. If you'd like to get a bit more social, you can share your Shutterfly photos to Facebook or other social media sites - however Facebook is the only social network that can be linked directly to your Shutterfly account at this time.
The Bad
- Limited storage
- Limited accepted formats
- No online community
A major downside of using Shutterfly for storage is the way it limits your download options. You can upload large or high-resolution photos to Shutterfly and the site will save them at full-size - however you won't be able to download them at full-size. If you're sharing with friends and family so that they can also use the images, a simple right-click won't let them download the photo at its fullest quality. This is somewhat of a security measure, however it could also limit your sharing capability - or the ease with which you can retrieve photo files if you don't have them saved anywhere else than Shutterfly. To get full-size copies of all your files on Shutterfly, you'll have to pay a small fee and have an archive CD created that will then be mailed to you. The CD will cost you $9.99 and up, depending on how many images you have.
Photo files must be in JPEG format to upload them to Shutterfly. If you commonly have PNG or other formats, this may create an inconvenience for you because you'll have to convert the files to JPEG before uploading.
Shutterfly may not be best for amateur or professional photographers, as it doesn't offer any online community, method for obtaining feedback or tutorial resources. In addition, the limited sharing options will make it difficult to showcase work. The highly-secure sharing and the ample gift item options make Shutterfly ideal for families looking to save their memories, though.
The Bottom Line
Shutterfly is okay: although we're a little bit wary of Shutterfly, the site seems to be a useful free resource overall. You'll be able to take advantage of unlimited uploads, decent editing tools, secure sharing methods and easy design templates for gift items. Remember that you won't be able to easily retrieve full-size copies of your photos, though; it may be best to use Shutterfly for sharing and creating gift items instead of as your sole storage location - be sure to back up copies of your photos elsewhere for quick (and cheaper) access to your photo files.
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User Reviews
Star Rating
33 Reviews
Review Breakdown
Sentiment Criteria
Nicholas Genes
I love how they turned their photo printing into unlimited photo storage. They figured out a way to give me what I needed and add their super cheap photo printing to it. Awesome!
Hallieford
I love Shutterfly for storing pictures. I get emailed with pictures that I uploaded 10 years ago. It’s fun to go down memory lane.
Corinne Craig
I’ve used Shutterfly for over 12 years! There’s always a great coupon. And the product quality is great.
Jina
I am not the one to post bad reviews ever, however this one was pretty heartbreaking and I want to help others by sharing this. My grandmother went into the hospital with only 30% of her heart working near Christmas. I ordered from Shutterfly like I always do. This time I ordered a cross with my grandmother's picture with us on there. No warnings showed up so I ordered it. It came in very blurry but I did not have time to contact Shutterfly and get a new one before Christmas, so I gave the blurry one to my dad. He cried and I promised I would get him a new one. I called them the next day, a wonderful woman said that even she had issues with it when she ordered one herself and helped me figure it out. She said that I could contact them again before ordering to ensure the second one would be right which the person said it was perfect. I saved the chat of the person who helped me. It came in blurrier than the first one. I just called for help again when the rep and her manager refused to help me because I accidentally entered in a different email address (same name) on the order than the one on the account. I was heartbroken that after 10 years of many orders, they would not help me with something that means so much to me and my family. I am now on the search for a new company for my future orders. Hope this helps.
Laurel Karna
Seriously hating on Shutterfly. They have so many gimmicks and "sales". They say you are saving on prints but then charge you an inordinate amount on shipping. My last order, I specified, one by one, no white borders, no cropping and no Shutterfly filters and they got it all wrong. Their website makes it difficult to see how exactly you ordered your prints, but it is there. So don't assume that you ordered it wrong (I think that's the idea). Shutterfly did make it right and customer service was responsive. However, who needs the hassle? I'm looking for alternatives so that I never have to order from Shutterfly again.
Arash Shir
I went with Shutterfly because I have heard their name many times before and I thought they would be good. I ordered a photo book (about 40 pages) as a gift for my partner. First, they start showing you rates at about $20 to get you in but before I know it grew to about $100. I had so much time invested in creating the photo book that I just said fine I'll pay the $100 and also I paid $20 extra for rushed service. Once the order was placed their status showed guaranteed delivery in 7 days (which I had to have it by then) but after day 6 I noticed that status was still "in production". I called them and they lied to me that it will ship out in a few hours and that I should have it on the 7th day. on the 7th day, status didn't change and I call them again and after pressuring them to give me the straight answer they finally tell me that it's going to be late even though they charged me an additional $20 for "guaranteed" delivery on the 7th day. They left me in the dry and now I have to figure out what I can gift to my partner on the last they when I'm also working. Totally unacceptable, I won't be going back to Shutterfly anymore.
Kimmi
For Christmas I give my kids a photobook from the previous year. After learning a few tricks it is now easy but a little time consuming to create these books. I am pleased with the quality of the product. My kids flip through these books often and they have held up just fine.
Emily
I ordered a book on a Monday to have for a party on a Saturday night. I paid extra for shipping, and their website said it would arrive by Friday. I checked on Thursday and it was still "being created" - which means there was no way it would arrive by Friday. This was a very special event, that people flew in for, and this book was for people to be able to write in. Due to Shutterfly not following their own guaranteed, we do not have a book in order to document this event. Had their website been honest about production time, I would have had time to make other arrangements. However, now I am here with no book. This is the second time in a row, that they have been delayed, and I have not had something I need in time. And they do not care. I am done with their company.
Shelley
I have made many (at least 30) photo books through Shutterfly. They are very good quality and their customer service is great when there’s a problem. My only complaint is that they no longer have a photo story app to make the books. Doing it through the main website is awful! It’s not user friendly and it’s very tedious. Is there any hope they will bring back a more user friendly app to make books with?
Katie Marz
Shutterfly is a nice site to make books and mugs and calendars and other things with photos on them. The quality is always great, but the process of getting your photos onto the site is a little annoying.
Eric
Shutterfly is great for sharing photos and even better for getting your photos onto other objects. We have used this for things from Christmas cards to making scrap books. Love it!
Steven Dixon
I ordered 80 holiday cards and envelopes from Shutterfly. I intended to have both addressees and the return address shown on the envelopes but made a mistake. I spent 39 minutes on the phone with a Shutterfly rep and she refused to let me order corrected envelopes. Shutterfly insisted that I spend another $200 for new cards in order to get corrected envelopes. I will never do business with them again. A terrible terrible company.
Unable to access your photos at this time
Haven't been able to view my photos this week. Customer service just gives me lame excuses. A few weeks ago I wasn't able to upload photos, but was the following day. Also customer service doesn't follow through with promises to call back. They seem to look for an easy way out of helping with issues. They blame it on others why things don't work. The bottom line for me is, if I can't make the site work I don't spend my money at Shutterfly.
Willo Oswald
The goal, the design of the shared site is great. The execution is not great. Full of links that don't do anything, links that lead to a gray screen, and the necessity of re-entering the urls, sometimes repeatedly, to get any page to load at all. What we wanted was a site where everyone could share their reunion pictures with a minimum of fuss. What we have is a site where one member was able to post, but no one else can. My computer is new, my experience vast. IT"S NOT ME!
Shari Evers
Shutterfly is amazing! I make a photo album every year for each of my five kids. Being able to upload the photos right from my phone onto the app saves so much time. The photo album designs makes it super simple to create and navigate. And when I need photo prints I can order them through Shutterfly and pick them up the same day at a local Walgreens! Love!
Sara Jane
I used Shutterfly initially when it was fresh on the market. Good quality books and prints. But I do find them more way more expensive than other services. If you can get a good coupon, it makes it worth it.
Hunter Kasprzyk
Great for christmas card or any family cards that need to be made. Simple and easy to use.
Nana Asiata
My aunt makes photo albums using Shutterfly. The quality is great and they make the album making nice and simple.
H Moore
Shutterfly has a great service, and I've made photo albums for my kids throughout the years.
Whippetmom
I've ordered photobooks for many years and this year the quality has changed completely. The pages are thinner and the lay flat pages do not lay flat like in the past. It was completely disappointing - especially for customer service to tell me no changes have been made when I have previous books that clearly show a significant difference. Offered a 30% refund - so much for 100% happiness. At 50% off still paid over $350 for the books.
nancy Constantine
I have been a shutterfly user for a long time, 8 years or so. I have never had problems using shutterfly until this past year. I cannot upload any photos that are large resolution. My photos are 2-10 megabites in size and it wont let me upload these anymore. I have to downsize everything to KB. I am looking for other places now to make books. My latest book was not to my liking at all. The photos are just not enough resolution for me. I've tried everything and I don't know what changed but I don't like it.
Tiffany
I love Shutterfly! I use them every year to make a calendar for my family and my parents. I have also ordered photo books and Christmas cards from them The quality of their products is awesome and their website is easy to use. It is easy to customize your projects and they often have amazing coupons and promo codes! Once my calendar got shipped to an old address and the customer service team was quick to get my calendar sent to my new address at no additional cost!
Jacinda E
I just used it to help my sister get the calendar she makes for my mom each year of all the grandkids. Easy to add pictures on a desktop. Tried to add pictures from my phone to the mobile app... Did not work. Overall I like sharing pictures using Shutterfly.
Cassidy Gundersen
Shutterfly makes the cutest little photo books. I make one every year for my husband for our anniversary. Their prices are affordable and their options are really cute and customizable. They make great gifts too!
Lindsey
I like Shutterfly, but I enjoy other sites much better for photo sharing, storage, photo books, etc. I think the site could be more presentable and user-friendly like its competitors.
Hannah
I love Shutterfly. I order all my photo books from them, and the quality is always stellar. I've also ordered Christmas cards from them with the same results. I'll continue to use them in the future!
Pete
I've had 3 or 4 books made for me and my family that are all pictures from recent vacations that we went on. The books are well made and the pictures look great in them. It's nice to have a book like that to help you remember the good times.
Jonny Hancock
Shutterfly is really easy to use. I have purchased several calendars and photo books full of family pictures for my mom and she absolutely loves them! Never been disappointed!
Kennedy Roche'
Fantastic photo products with a huge variety and amazing options! Special offers and discounts are regularly available, and the quality is professional. Things are shipped quickly, their prices are great, and I have loved everything I have ordered.!
Sav Flo
Their prices are great and I love the book options they have! I was pleased with the book that I got in the mail. The quality was great!
Maile Curtis
I love using shutterfly for all of the invitations and announcements. Ordering from them is really easy and convenient. I also I like their prices and the deals that they offer during the holidays.
Sheryl Wilson
Shutterfly makes it so easy to edit my picture books. The product is superior. I always wait for their half price coupon to buy my books.
Chelsea Stewart
I've made multiple photo books through Shutterfly and LOVE them. The prices are expensive, but if you watch the deals every few months or so they run a good deal and they are more affordable. I've also made calendars and they were awesome! Great products you will love!
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